Musings From New York

Putting the best foot forward in one's mouth

Here in New York, we're not afraid of controversial debates!

Lights ... Camera ... Action!

Mike isn't the only celebrity around here. I got this e-mail this week.

------------------------------------------
Dear Akshay,

My name is <deleted>, I work in the Public Relations Department at <Phone Company>, which is looking for a customer that would like to be video taped for a B-roll compilation tape. This is raw footage used to cover the visual part of an interview or narration. It would be used for television placements and sent to TV stations upon request for footage of <Phone Company> customer use. All taping would take place in your home. If you are not interested, I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. If you are interested in doing the interview, then just let me know and we can work on coordinating a time to talk.

Nikhil ... Kaam Nahin Hai Kya?

How long did it take you to type out that list on the The Ratings Game comment? Anyway ... it was only 5 minutes for me to come up with the following:

FYI - NA means I haven't watched the movie.
--------------------------------

1. Return of the King 8.5/10

2. Batman Begins 8.0/10

3. When Harry met Sally 8.0/10

4. Hellboy 7.0/10

5. El Mariachi, Desperado and Once upon a time in Mexico 7.0/10, 8.0/10, 7.5/10

6. Pulp Fiction 10.0/10

7. Boondock Saints NA

8. Transporter 6.0/10

9. Finding Nemo 8.5/10

10. Incredibles 7.0/10 originally, revised to 8.0/10 when I saw it on DVD

11. Sharktale 6.5/10

12. Terminal 7.0/10

13. Finding Neverland 8.5/10

14. Pirates of the Caribbean 8.5/10

15. Butterfly Effect NA

16. Citizen Kane 10.0/10

17. StarWars (all of them) Starting with Episode I – 7.5/10, 7.0/10, 9.0/10, 10.0/10, 10.0/10, 9.0/10

18. Spiderman 1 and 2 9.0/10, 8.5/10

19. Vanilla Sky and Abre los Ojos 7.5/10, NA

20. Pirates of the Caribbean See number 14 above

21. LA Confidential 8.0/10

22. While you were sleeping NA

23. You got mail 7.5/10

24. Forrest Gump 8.5/10

25. Catch me if you can 7.5/10

26. Aviator 8.0/10

27. Mr and Mrs Smith NA

28. Ocean's 11 (both of them) Haven’t seen the original, remake gets 8.0/10

29.Ocean's 12 6.0/10

30. Can you please list top 5 WWII movies? I don’t have a list. But here are the ones that immediately spring to mind: #1 Saving Private Ryan #2 The Dirty Dozen #3 Kelly’s Heroes #4 The Great Escape #5 Patton

Embarassing Moments #213

Being caught playing air-guitar in what you thought was your deserted office.

FYI, the song was High Hopes by Pink Floyd.

An Unexpected Business Lesson

Mike had a few words to say about a TV ad for Target, the comments of which would make any marketing professor proud. In fact, this post should be come the basis for a case study!

The Ratings Game

Gowri asked me to clarify my ratings scale the other day. I will admit, it is a bit nebulous, and it operates more on a sliding basis than off'f any checklist!

The lowest I have ever given a movie is 5.0 (The Rundown) ... I haven't dared plumb the depths of movie depravity to see what might make less than 5, but last week's Bikini Cave Girls on HBO Zone kinda fits that mold (Yes I did watch bits of it, but hey, when you're attacking a dragon, you set your character to auto-attacks and turn to the TV!).

The highest score is 10.0, and there have been a few recently ... Fellowship of the Ring, Hero, Sin City. To me, a 10.0 means that the movie's look & feel far exceeded my expectations, visually, technically, and in the rare cases that I feel qualified to comment, the script & acting.

So, here's a general guide to ratings:

0-5: Avoid if possible
5-6: Wait for it to come out on DVD or cable
6-7: A fair movie, but opt for something else, should there anything else.
7-8: A good movie. Definitely to be watched in the theater, and not on a small screen.
8-9: A bluddy good movie. Watch it as soon as possible. Keep an eye on the calendar for the DVD release
9-10: This movie should be watched on the opening weekend as a sign of support for the genius of the film-making. Of course if you saw 10/10 on any rating, chances are it'd be after the opening weekend! Also, the DVD will be a must-have.

Now that I've defined my own ratings scale, I'd probably stick to it more!

Attention Rush Fans!

You HAVE to watch this video of YYZ.

Big B Strikes Again!!

Yes - a scene from Sarkar is doing the rounds in the online gaming community! The scene is that of the first meeting with Rashid. If I remember my "The Godfather" correctly, its when the turkish drug smuggler comes to the Godfather to get permission to peddle his goods in New York.

The subtitles have been changed of course, to parody a raging controversy in World of Warcraft. A link to the video can be found under the "Community Spotlight" for  7/18 (check the archives in case you can't find it), titled: What Fangtooth Doesn't Want You To Know by Semoth ... I will warn you - you kinda have to be at least a casual player to  understand why everyone is laughing so hard!

By curious coincidence, the controversy being parodied directly affects me, which is why I watched it in the first place. I play a Paladin - a holy knight, in essence - a class that has been the center of a raging storm over purpose, damage caused, and player-versus-player effectiveness. Blizzard developers have long denied any problem, but the complaints and momentum has grown so much these last couple of months that they HAVE to address it. As the clip suggests, the turning point was a competition Blizzard held ... and not one Paladin figured in the winners lists.

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory 6.5/10

OK, I will admit I was slightly disappointed when I saw this movie. I think I was expecting Johnny Depp to pull out a trifecta of good movies (Pirates, Finding Neverland, and Charlie). The movie certainly has a lot to recommend to it. The sets are gorgeously imagined - very, very psychadelic in fact. Which is only fair .. chocolate is supposed to trigger the release of endorphins. The humorous scenes - while few, and far between - are quite well written and delivered.

Johnny Depp made it quite clear that he did model his portrayal of Willy Wonka on Michael Jackson, but its very recognizable. Well, it is a kids movie, and kids need parental supervision ... and parents all over have been mildly spooked by the whole MJ media circus. So its easy to see - from a PR perspective - why he might make such comments. Truth be told, I saw a lot more of Jim Carrey (circa Mask & Ace Ventura) in his character. I will admit though, that the character does come off as quite creepy at times!

What am I most disappointed by? The moral message of the story. One of the reasons I suspect the earlier movie was beloved (and I count myself in the legion of fans) is that Charlie himself is shown to be flawed (he drinks the fizzy drink), but ultimately he admits the errors of his ways and is forgiven. A very Christian theme, now that I think about it. In the remake, however, Charlie is portrayed as a squeaky clean chap ... a boy scout other scouts would look up to as the paradigm of scoutishness. The message of this story? Keep your head down, and don't take any risks in life ... Be happy in your station, and you  might be ultimately rewarded, and that sort of stuff. Communist crock, if you ask me.

But, all said and done, in this summer of boredom, this movie is a good, lazy afternoon watch.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I know its been a while since I last posted. The repeated messages of "Why haven't you blogged for so long?" finally got through. I never realized how much my little blog (Motto: Very 'Eavy ... Very 'Umble) counted towards others' morning entertainment.

So where have I been? Well, I last posted when I was in Scranton, but I've been in NYC this last week. And the reason why I haven't written anything is that I'm leaving for India on 30th ... and so have been playing a lot of WoW. A LOT. Seriously. Also, I guess I slightly burnt out from the travelling and just needed to take a break.

So, to Vidya: No, I haven't read HP6 yet. I've gotten through all of 3 chapters, and knowing that my favorite character's dead is NOT adding to my desire to read it. It's like ... knowing Vetinari is killed off in the next book. Not fun to read. But as my friend Soames (in WoW) says: It's the journey, nto the final destination that (I) should concentrate on.